The arena employee, Lily, handed over a Gold Class badge with a bright smile.
"Congratulations on advancing to Gold Class!"
The final match to reach Gold Class—ultimately, the Bourbon Knights did not participate.
Even though Duff and his knights were annihilated, the Bourbons could have swapped party members and sent others.
It seems my warning, delivered through the arena manager, was effective.
Otherwise, they would have sent their strongest forces to kill me.
Bichon and his subordinates, who received their badges from her, cheered with joy.
"Woooaaah!"
"No way. Captain Bichon, we already have the Gold Class badge!"
Bichon responded with a bashful smile, wiping his nose.
"Well, with our skills, we deserve to be in Gold Class. Though, our friends here deserve most of the credit."
I put the Gold Class badge in my pocket and replied to him.
"This is it for us. From the next match onward, you'll need to form a new party and continue."
"What? Don't you intend to go all the way to Diamond Class?"
"No, we don't. As I mentioned earlier, our goal was to obtain the Gold Class badge that allows entry to the tower. We need nothing more."
"You're not interested in fame. Gold Class is good, but if you reach Diamond, you'd be recognized wherever you go on the continent."
Do I need that?
Just by mentioning the name Strange, people would gauge my position. There's no need to reach Diamond Class in the arena.
'Well….'
If there's something to gain by reaching higher, that might change things.
"Well then, I'll be off."
"Wait a moment. If you're planning to ascend the tower, can you tell me when you'll be leaving?"
"Why?"
"Oh, I'm not suggesting we climb together. I just wanted to express my gratitude for helping us get the Gold badge. If it's alright, I'd like to buy you a meal before you go."
"…No need. We had aligned goals, so there's no need to be thankful. We plan to leave today. We have a lot to prepare, so a meal won't be possible."
"Today? You mean you're leaving right after getting the badge?"
"Yes."
Having waited so long to climb the tower, there was no reason to delay further.
Now that preparations are complete, we should depart immediately.
"In that case, I won't hold you back. Ha ha, thank you for everything. See you at the tower someday."
So he's also planning to go to the tower.
Well, it doesn't seem feasible with his current skills, but the future is unpredictable.
"See you at the tower."
"Take care."
Bichon walked away with a faint smile.
I also turned and headed out of the arena.
'Finally, it's time to climb the tower.'
---
The tower is a place only those permitted can enter.
I heard that in ancient times, anyone could enter, but times have changed. Now, one must prove their combat prowess to obtain a pass.
"Knight Verdin, Knight Rox. You are granted entry."
The middle-aged guard captain at the tower's entrance confirmed our passes and granted us entry with an impassive tone.
He belonged to the imperial army, so no adventurer visiting the tower dared to disrespect him.
Crossing him would not only prevent entry but also make it difficult to embark on proper adventures anywhere on the continent.
'Moreover….'
Even if someone managed to defeat him and proceed, they'd likely be caught and killed by the following imperial forces.
No matter how skilled an adventurer is, they cannot reach the middle layers of the tower without the imperial army's help. To climb the tower formally, one must have the required pass.
'There are shadowy paths to ascend as well.'
But those methods are near impossible, even with a dozen lives.
"Wait a moment."
As the guard captain stepped back, a young man with a bowl haircut and large glasses suddenly appeared out of thin air in the empty space.
Whoosh!
"New adventurers, I see."
Rox looked puzzled and astonished by the scene.
"What the hell? Where did this guy come from?"
"My name is Amon. I am the scribe of this tower. May I have your names?"
"R-Rox."
"Verdin."
"I see. Stored."
"…What a strange fellow."
Unlike the bewildered Rox, I knew the true nature of this scribe.
He appeared human on the outside, but he was actually a type of homunculus and an apostle created by the will of a 'god.'
This guy records all the actions of adventurers who enter the tower.
Though he's not harmful, he's quite troublesome, so I quickly got to the point.
"Scribe Amon, we wish to enter the tower."
"I understand. One moment…."
The scribe adjusted his glasses and continued.
"Confirmed no criminal records. Entry is granted."
Though the imperial pass was separate, sometimes the scribe in front of us could deny entry. Fortunately, nothing major happened.
"Thank you. Which floor can we start from? We'd like to enter right away."
"I see. One moment…."
Amon slowly looked Rox up and down before answering.
"Rox, you can challenge from the first floor."
Then he scanned me slowly, tilting his head with a puzzled expression.
"Verdin, Verdin, Verdin, you, you—"
"...?"
"Please wait a moment."
"What?"
Making sounds like a malfunctioning machine, Amon suddenly disappeared with a whoosh.
The guard captain, momentarily surprised, quickly composed himself and spoke.
"It seems there's an issue."
He then instructed his subordinate to close the tower's entrance.
Boom.
***
"Adventurers, please do not move and wait according to the imperial army's instructions."
The adventurers started to stir.
All those who had visited the tower so far had entered without issue, so what could have happened to close the doors now? A few people in the queue raised their voices.
"What's the matter?"
"Tut tut, it's obvious. Those kids must have forged their passes!"
"Oh… this is infuriating. If we don't enter now, the difficulty of the tower will increase."
Their reactions were unanimous.
They believed that if they didn't enter the tower quickly, the difficulty of climbing it would increase.
Generally, monsters become stronger from day to night, hence their concern.
'That's not the case.'
The tower and the outside world aren't connected in such a way.
Most likely, the people here are first-time climbers or novice adventurers who bought information from the black market.
'At worst, we just need to be wary of the imperial soldiers.'
Though we're being accused of forging passes, the absence of veteran adventurers was actually a relief.
When the scribe returns and things go awry, it won't be too hard to get out.
'Do they still have records of my past life's climb?'
While I was organizing my thoughts, the adventurers' complaints grew louder.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rox grabbed the collar of the nearest young adventurer.
"Shut up, you bastards. The entrance to the tower is closed not because of us but because that guy Amon disappeared earlier!"
Everyone went silent as Rox unleashed his mana.
Those who had not yet awakened their aura or mana couldn't help but avert their eyes due to the unknown killing intent.
Some seemed to have awakened their ki, but without proper mastery, they merely glanced around without opposing.
I gently patted Rox on the shoulder and whispered.
"Stop."
"But—"
"I said stop."
Rox, still angry, flared his nostrils before reluctantly releasing the adventurer's collar with a sullen expression.
Pop.
At that moment, Amon reappeared with a whoosh.
Whoosh!
"Thank you for waiting. The records have been confirmed."
The scribe held nothing in his hands, indicating no hostility.
I deliberately let out a long sigh, displaying discomfort.
"So, from which floor can I start?"
Amon, seemingly smiling, spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"You have been blessed by the gods and may start from the 81st floor."
"What?"
I blinked in surprise. I had considered the possibility.
To think the records of my past life still remained.
The most surprised person upon hearing Amon's answer wasn't me or Rox.
It was the swordsman behind me, dancing wildly with heavy breaths.
"Ha ha ha ha! Blessed by the gods? What a stroke of luck, my disciple! Starting from the 81st floor! That's already beyond the middle layers and into the upper layers! My disciple is the best! As I expected, you have the potential to become the master of this tower!"
It was Siegfried.
If records of my high-level climb remain, I can skip hidden paths and parts that can't be solved by brute force, reaching higher floors faster than anyone.
"Meow meow meow!"
Even the archmage Brunhild was smiling brightly, raising her front paws to dance with Siegfried.
All eyes were on me.
I grabbed Brunhild by the scruff and made eye contact.
'Calm down.'
She understood and stopped dancing.
Siegfried also noticed my actions and cleared his throat.
"Ahem, I'm still the Sword God. I got too excited and showed you an undignified side."
There were too many people to reply.
I moved my lips without making a sound to answer him.
'We'll talk inside.'
"…Got it."
Amon glanced at Siegfried before whispering softly enough for only me to hear.
"…It's been a while. I didn't recognize you since you're shorter now."
I answered with silence.
'Does Amon remember me?'
Not only does the tower keep records, but Amon also recognizes who I am and even makes such remarks.
That means Amon can move from the future to the past.
'Complicated.'
As I stopped the conversation and began to ponder, Amon spoke again.
"Will you enter the tower?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Rox will go to the 1st floor, and Verdin will be sent to the 81st floor."
"No, I'll also go to the 1st floor."
"The 1st floor?"
"Yes."
"…Understood."
What's the point of going to the higher floors alone?
It's already proven that I can't defeat a dragon without companions.
Rising quickly is important, but so is gathering people to stand against strong foes with me.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"If I want to go to the 81st floor right now, can I take those who haven't reached that floor with me?"
"It's impossible."
Of course, if that were possible, no one would bother climbing the tower the hard way.
"But, you can take up to the 41st floor. The number is limited, though."
"How many can I take?"
"Five."
The 41st floor is where my father, Lois, is stuck.
"I understand. Let's start at the 1st floor then."